Monday, October 12, 2015

Recently,
I had the honor and opportunity to attend a keynote address by
retired Lieutenant-General Roméo Dallaire. I had been invited by my dear
colleague and filmmaker Leigh Badgley to attend the Allard Prize for
International Integrity in which the following short film Allard Prize for International Integrity 2015 Finalistsof
hers was being showcased. More about the prize a
little later, but my focus is mainly on the speech by Romeo Dallaire
and its impact.

I
first got a glimpse of him as he entered the stage with the prize
committee all of whom were dressed in colorful academic robes. As he
was sitting there, he looked somewhat stiff and slightly
uncomfortable. He was about to receive his honorary degree and as the
announcer introduced him, I realized that he was the Canadian officer
depicted in the movie Hotel Rwanda.

In
Rwanda, he had disobeyed his UN orders and had followed his own
ethical guidelines to ensure the safety of the African citizens and
to stand up against genocide in that country; Dallaire is credited with
saving the lives of more than 30,000 people. Already we see two
traits here, one, a person who is not tied to blind obedience and
discipline, and second, a person who is rooted in deep morality.

Dallaire
did not speak immediately after receiving his honorary doctorate, but
came back a little later for his keynote speech. This was a good idea
because when he returned he had taken off his academic cape and
wardrobe and looked much more human and comfortable as a result.

Right after his first words, we sensed that he had a sense of humor.
He had some words for his daughter who was studying at UBC for her
MBA and bragged to her that he had already received his doctorate
just like that.

Then,
he shared his love for public speaking with us and the fact that he
likes to show slides; it was the first of over 126 slides, he joked,
and this was already the cut-down version. Yet he was not there to
clown around or to merely entertain us; in fact, he had a lot of
interesting observations to make. He shared some of his personal
stories and ideas, which ought to be heeded and followed by us all,
citizens, politicians, and military personnel alike.

First
off, he looked at the question of humanity. Many times we overlook
the humanity of others, particularly when it comes to our opponents.
In our mind, whether consciously or not, we strip them bare of their
humanity and see them as monsters or perpetrators of evil.

One of the
biggest and saddest issues that concerns Dallaire - and he has devoted significant time and energy towards this - is the continued use of child soldiers. This should not happen and children should not be viewed or
treated as enemy soldiers. While adults may have their disagreements,
children should not be dragged into these conflicts and not be sent
to the front lines with weapons in their hands.

He
gave us a personal example when he was in Rwanda. They were driving
on a narrow strip, a no man's land marked between the Hutu and
Tutsis, and they encountered a young boy of six or seven at the
crossroads. They had heard of potential ambushes that used this
method of distraction. The boy had a protruding belly of hunger and
looked demarcated and innocent, but Dallaire and his fellow soldiers
quickly got off the jeep and searched the surrounding areas for
hidden attackers.

Yet
they found nothing but empty huts filled with corpses. Then when they
had cleared and secured the area, they returned to the road and found
that the boy was missing; he was not at his previous spot. They
now continued the quest for him and finally found him in a hut on the
other side with what must have been his parents whose corpses were
half eaten by wild animals.

So
they took this boy with them and Dallaire looked him in the eye and
did not see any enemy or monster but a boy like any other. These were
the eyes of a troubled soul, but more importantly, those of a human
being. And he was reminded of his own son of about the same age; he
had left him behind in Canada before embarking on his mission.

This boy
was essentially like any other except that he had been afflicted with
the greatest tragedy, while other children elsewhere - in particular
fortunate places like Canada - have both rights and privileges and
live a generally carefree and innocent life.

The
suffering of children continued to affect him in addition to those
grisly images he must have seen in times of duty and in his later
missions and visits to troubled and war-torn areas. He had just
returned from the refugee camps in Syria and said that there were
many people living under deplorable and miserable circumstances.

There
were young children and teenagers who were stuck a this place doing
nothing, trying to survive at best and who were losing up to four
years and counting of their lives. This time could have been filled
with education, but effectively it was dead and wasted time.

These
young people would never forget those horrible and gruesome
situations they had been exposed to, and they would carry around this
emotional baggage with them; they would perhaps point blame at others
or germinate later plans of destruction and create further suffering
for others as well.

These
are things we rarely fully understand or picture in our minds. We
live a comfortable and sheltered life and know little of what is
going on around us in other parts of the world. We hear about the extreme
situations of refugees dying during their escape, but little do we
think about all those who are stuck there and whose daily life
consists of endless moments of suffering strung together into a bleak
future.

Our
political leaders miscalculated their moves because according to
Dallaire, Syria has converted to a place of utter and (almost)
irreversible chaos and mayhem. Military airstrikes had very little
effect, if any; if the international leaders wanted to solve the
issue now, it would take at least a hundred thousand foot soldiers. The
leaders have waited too long to act and the whole situation has
now gotten out of control.

Moreover,
Dallaire praised all those who are ready to fight corruption (the
main theme of the evening and symbolized through the works of those
courageous nominees) and that often such change comes at the price of
blood.

He also said that the status quo is a fallacy and can only
lead to stagnation. What we need to do as individuals is to ensure
that there is constant change and progress at every moment of our lives. We should never stand still, but always look and move ahead to
make this place a better and safer place for us all.

He
even mentioned the word “revolution.” He said he could say it
now that he is retired and not under the army's spell and command
anymore. Such changes are indeed necessary for a better future. Some
international courts decrying war crimes is a good step; that there
are many exceptional people working towards international peace and
towards accountability of wrongdoers is commendable, but perhaps we
should also have a court that decries corruption and has
international leverage to enforce issues.

Finally,
corruption happens everywhere, whether we see it or not. However, it
is our duty to expose corruption, to condemn it and not let those evil-doers
get away with those crimes. As he was talking about social justice
and personal engagement, and, in particular, the plight of children,
which moved me most, I could not help thinking that my contributions
on this front are generally negligible and rather insignificant in
comparison. I should do more and perhaps (and hopefully) raising a
little of awareness here would a first step towards that goal.

As
we gave him a standing ovation and as I was thinking that he fully
deserved his honorary degree (in fact, I would have given him two or
more) he added two things in closure: one, that he was proud serving
in the army, and two, that we should treat our vets, especially those
who put themselves in danger and who suffer maiming and mental
torment for us with more respect.

I
cannot imagine the scenes of death and destruction that they must
face in times of war, and I wonder how they can still uphold faith in
humanity and the human race after witnessing such atrocities. This is perhaps why Dallaire kept repeating that things are looking not so good and that we have failed on many respects. Yet one thing is for sure, they are heroes as they risk their lives and mental
health for us.

As
this is Thanksgiving Day here in Canada, I would also like to extend
and include my thanks and admiration for all those who stand up and
fight against injustice here and around the world. We saw four
nominees that risked their own safety and well-being to expose
corruption in their respective countries, be it in Indonesia, Russia, Angola or
Kenya.

However,
I believe that one must do what one deems necessary and that paying
with blood or putting your and your loved ones' safety at risk ought
not to be the prerequisite for everyone. One can bring about change in
smaller ways by doing what one can.

That can be blogging about such
issues, raising awareness, donating for good causes as well as voting
responsibly. But to all those who are willing to take the extra step with the evident risks attached to it, I raise my glass of wine to you
and offer my heartfelt thanks!

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